In a percentage of the population, the relaxation of muscles during sleep allows certain structures of the nose and mouth to fall backwards against the back wall of the throat. When these structures fall backwards, the airway becomes partially obstructed, and floppy excessive tissue in the upper part of the airway, e.g., the soft palate and uvula, vibrates and causes snoring. Snoring may also be due to nasal obstruction with vibration of nasal tissues or narrowing behind the tongue with vibration between the tongue and the back of the throat.
Over the years, many different (and expensive) solutions to the problem of snoring have been proposed with varying degrees of success. There are three main categories of treatment for snoring: behavior treatment, surgical treatment, and devices.
Behavior treatment includes any treatment that can be effected or administered by the snorer, such as weight loss (in people that are significantly overweight), avoiding alcohol and sleeping pills before sleep, and avoiding sleeping on the back. Avoiding sleeping on the back is most commonly attempted by fixing a tennis ball or other object to the middle of the base of the snorer's back to prevent the user from turning onto the user's back while sleeping, which can instead result in general discomfort while trying to sleep.
Surgeries and various other medical corrective procedures for snoring typically involve the removal of mouth and nose tissue. Such procedures include somnoplasty of the palate and uvula, which shrinks and stiffens the palate and uvula from inside, laser uvulopalatoplasty (LAUP), which trims off the elongated tissues, and radiofrequency ablation, which involves the use of vibration to remove tissue. These surgeries can be very expensive, extremely painful and have long recovery times with much discomfort, not to mention numerous other health risks associated with surgery. Often, tissue grows back following surgery, requiring additional surgeries or alternative corrective measures.
Devices for snore prevention include oral appliances that range from muzzle-like jaw straps that force a user's mouth to remain shut while sleeping to nightguard-type devices that cause a user's oral airway to remain forcibly obstructed by acting as an airflow barrier. Many of these devices require at least several visits to a physician or dentist and can be quite costly, typically due to being custom-fitted, such as over a user's teeth to pull the lower jaw forward while sleeping, thereby pulling the tongue away from the palate and uvula. Unfortunately, these devices can be uncomfortable and can even inflict or promote injury, including causing jaw clenching, tension headaches, and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders.
Other devices include nasal passage-expanding strips, which are applied to the outside of the nose and use a strong adhesive to open the nostrils wider for quieter breathing. However, a strip-wearing snorer who rolls onto the snorer's back will still start to snore as soon as the snorer's mouth opens, and such strips can also leave sensitive skin with irritation from frequent strip application and removal.
While a number of specialized anti-snore pillows have been proposed, all have shortcomings. Many have a depression in the center to stabilize a user's head. However, this depression frequently causes the user to end up sleeping on the user's back in the center of the pillow, which promotes snoring, rather than abating it. Other specialized pillows fasten to a user's clothing or head, which not only can be uncomfortable, but can also inflict or promote injury. Moreover, having to use a specialized pillow to prevent snoring can be cumbersome while traveling, requiring a user to carry the pillow in the user's luggage or to forego using the pillow altogether until returning home.